Foster High School senior Addison Marshall is the winner of the 2012 High School Rudy Award. Marshall was featured in the January 15 edition of Parade Magazine. Marshall will be the recipient of a $7,500 college scholarship.
Marshall’s family moved to Fort Bend County after being uprooted by Hurricane Katrina. Football may have literally saved his life.
Marshall complained of sore ribs during spring workouts for the Foster Falcon football squad. It was the subsequent doctor visit that first discovered he was suffering from Leukemia. Since then Marshall’s fight against the disease and his continued efforts for the Foster football team has been a source of inspiration to his teammates, students at Foster High and children in the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
“This award is bittersweet,” said Mark Wiatrek, head football coach at Foster, who nominated Marshall for the award. “To win it, you had to have faced and overcome a tragedy. But it goes to show the character of this terrific young man. When you think of what he has overcome, you can’t help but be amazed and inspired.”
Named for Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger, whose life was the inspiration for the movie “Rudy,” the Rudy Awards celebrate inspirational young athletes who embody the values of character, courage, contribution and commit¬ment through the sport of football. Recognizing and re-warding these outstanding players inspires other youth to pursue sports as a positive, action-oriented path to self-discipline, leadership, strong academic performance and a healthy lifestyle.
A national selection committee, along with a fan vote, chose final Rudy Award Winner. The nation’s most inspirational player will receive a $7,500 scholarship. The selection committee included Troy Aikman, Drew Bledsoe and Leigh Anne Tuohy, the real mom from “The Blind Side.”